If you bought a 2nd hand car which had been modded by the previous owner, how would you know what had been changed if the owner did not specify?

I'm not talking like obvious bad boy bonnets but things like alloys, exhaust, engine work, ICE.

If you had an unmodified version of the car that would be easy to spot but what if you dont have something to compare it with?

Thoughts and opinions please.

well, if its an older car, id look to seeif anyof it looks newer than the rest of the engine

also, if its a fiat, im sure youd be able to find someone to compare with

or at least give you some pics

Hmmm good idea but new parts tend to blend in with the rest of the car after not very long at all!

What if you were totally oblivious to the mods? Would you be uninsured?

How far does your duty to declare mods extend? Taking the engine apart to have the bore diameter checked? Having the ECU code checked for tweaking?

I have a feeling that ignorance is a defence in such a case as we can't all expected to be knowledgeable about all cars, however, that can't be pushed far.

Thats what I thought too. I dont think you could claim ignorance if you bought the car from your mest mate who had replaced the 1.4 with a 2.0 V8


P.S. This insurance forum is fun. So many questions to debate!

Hi, I've a Stilo Abarth with the larger 17" alloy wheels and tyres. I bought the car second hand, but talking with the insurance company (Tesco) even though the bigger wheels were an approved FIAT addition at the time of purchase of the car as they were non-standard (i.e not the 16" jobbies) they wanted an extra £89 just to cover the wheels and tyres

12 months insurance was only £450, so I declined to declare them and they said fine, but they would only pay to replace them with standard wheels and tyres if nicked. Interestingly I didn't have to pay any extra for the leather trim that also wasn't "standard" and of course if damaged would cost a lot more to repair. Explain that one?

Tis true... how would you check for Lightened Flywheels, Lightened Camshafts, Polished Ports, Ball Bearing Pistons, Re-Boarage, ECU Remaps etc...

I mean to the un-educated how would you spot a Turbo Charger in your engine bay?

These mods are the ones that add serious... and I mean serious BHP but you can't see them like a big Xhaust or an Induction Kit.

Trancendental said:

Tis true... how would you check for Lightened Flywheels, Lightened Camshafts, Polished Ports, Ball Bearing Pistons, Re-Boarage, ECU Remaps etc...

I mean to the un-educated how would you spot a Turbo Charger in your engine bay?

These mods are the ones that add serious... and I mean serious BHP but you can't see them like a big Xhaust or an Induction Kit.

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To be quite honest tho, the person selling the car is likely to mention stuff like that as its a selling point, someone whos spent money doing big engine mods isnt going to sell it as a standard car

activematt said:

To be quite honest tho, the person selling the car is likely to mention stuff like that as its a selling point, someone whos spent money doing big engine mods isnt going to sell it as a standard car

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Was thinking that, but what about the scenarios where it isn't?

Your Dads Friends Grandson is all grown up and leaves the country to live somewhere else permanently.

Gives the car to Grandad to sell, tells grandad about the mods but he forgets in 5 minutes. Grandad tells your dad he has an old banger to sell for a quick £500, dad tells you, You take it for a test drive and obviously its sexy and it looks sexy and you end up with more then you bargained for

Yeah i guess, you got to admit thats a pretty rare scenario as scenarios go

My car I believe is standard apart from the alloys which are still 15" with standard size tyres. (Should I tell the insurance that I now have uprated tyres?!)

If I didn't have another 16v tipo in the family I might not have known what an original wheel looked like.

Also I dont know if the exhaust is standard. The other tipo has a powerflow exhaust so nothing to compare with.

I don't know about you guys, but when I buy a car, I've usually tested looked at, prodded and otherwise inspected at least half-a-dozen other examples. Once you've seen two (puntos 1.2 8v for example), apart from the number of doors, and colour of the seats (this list is not extensive) they're all pretty much the same mechanically, you're quite likely to notice something that looks suspiciously like a modification, like an induction kit for example... aren't you?

Alex said:

you're quite likely to notice something that looks suspiciously like a modification, like an induction kit for example... aren't you?

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not if you dont open the bonnet! we didnt when buying my sisters car LOL

Hows a 17 year old thats never driven anything but their learner car meant to know?

Insurance companies are @rses as they slap up things like induction kits and a zorst and alloys.

But tricer has got 95bhp running through a cinque WITHOUT a turbo, what are they gonna spot? Air filter? Zorst? Oh thats it cos they are actually as thick as two short planks for the most part.

When Firewarrior rang up to insure his Cinque turbo the convosation went like this

'Any modifications?'

'Yes, a turbo charger'

'Does that add to the BHP'

'Yes, its a TURBOCHARGER'

'What does that do?'

Enquired about insuring a non-standard exhaust. They didn't ask if it increased BHP or anything. Just quoted another 70 quid. Think I'll keep my head down and hope that it is a standard exhaust. 70 quid just because its not an original part is a bit of a p*** take.

uno_94 said:

not if you dont open the bonnet! we didnt when buying my sisters car LOL

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hmmm... perhaps you need to buy a "car buying guide" next time.

Alex said:

I don't know about you guys, but when I buy a car, I've usually tested looked at, prodded and otherwise inspected at least half-a-dozen other examples. Once you've seen two (puntos 1.2 8v for example), apart from the number of doors, and colour of the seats (this list is not extensive) they're all pretty much the same mechanically, you're quite likely to notice something that looks suspiciously like a modification, like an induction kit for example... aren't you?

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Well I looked at lots of cars when buying, I looked at three Tipo's and all of them were different. Especially under the engine, none of them looked the same as the last.

The induction kits that connect directly to the top of a carburettor look normal in my opinion.

How would you tell if the brake discs were uprated or if the pads were suitable for the disc?

how do you know what a standard wheel looks like and what size it should be?

Will filling up your car with higher octane fuel make it faster? will I have to tell the Insurance company?

What about after a full service? The Oil grade is different and is more suitable then the manufacturers recommendations so I can accelerate quicker... do they want to know that too??

Silly little things I will not tell them about.

Trancendental said:

Well I looked at lots of cars when buying, I looked at three Tipo's and all of them were different. Especially under the engine, none of them looked the same as the last.

The induction kits that connect directly to the top of a carburettor look normal in my opinion.

How would you tell if the brake discs were uprated or if the pads were suitable for the disc?

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A fair point

Trancendental said:

how do you know what a standard wheel looks like and what size it should be?

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Owners handbook

Trancendental said:

Will filling up your car with higher octane fuel make it faster? will I have to tell the Insurance company?

What about after a full service? The Oil grade is different and is more suitable then the manufacturers recommendations so I can accelerate quicker... do they want to know that too??

Silly little things I will not tell them about.

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I think this would be acceptable as part of general maintenance, although there may be insurance difficulties, I would imagine, if you used unsuitable servic materials and that contributed to an accident, but it will probably not effect a third party.

Trancendental said:

how do you know what a standard wheel looks like and what size it should be?

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Alex said:

Owners handbook

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Second Hand Car? Owners Hand Book?

Might not be lucky enough to get one with the motor.


brrRRRUUUUUMMMMmmmmmmm.....!

:yeahthat:

Plus what if the modification was an original option such as larger wheels, body coloured bumpers, fog lights etc.